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CAPRICORN

The Capital Area Primary Care Research Network (CAPRICORN) is a network of primary care providers in the Washington metropolitan area interested in conducting practice-based research. As part of the network, clinician members may collaborate in research activities as researchers or as study or site participants. Research ideas and study protocols can be generated by any network members. CAPRICORN, under the directorship of Ranit Mishori, M.D. M.H.S., operates with current and previous infrastructure support from:

the Department of Family Medicine, which strengthens its capacity for protocol developments and human subjects review;

Georgetown University School of Medicine primary care units;

external organizations including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Federation of Practice-based Research Networks;

and by the larger Georgetown research community.

CAPRICORN consists of 100 providers from the Washington, DC metropolitan area who have a wide variety of patient populations and high minority representation. All of our sites are primary care offices led by general pediatricians, family physicians, general internists, or nurse practitioners. CAPRICORN has an extensive track record of research in the community, enrolling over 2,300 participants in various projects since its inception. CAPRICORN also collaborates with another local Practice-Based Research Network at Howard University, DC PrimCare PBRN, through the Clinical Translational Science Award (CTSA)-supported Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science (GHUCCTS). Together, the two PBRNs work with 150 providers in the community to promote active research studies.

CAPRICORN Director Dr. Mishori and Research Division Director Dr. Daniel Merenstein also actively contribute to the Community Engagement and Research component, which aims to promote community participation in the research process, enhance diversity, and develop a program relevant to the interests of the community. CAPRICORN participates in the Community Advisory Board, which advises the GHUCCTS leadership regarding community priorities, identifying potential community partners and contributes to the dissemination of research findings.

Department of Family Medicine Research Associate Tina Tan is CAPRICORN’s Network Coordinator. She coordinates projects and activities, recruits clinicians for membership and participation, and communicates with members about upcoming projects, meetings, and events. Dr. Mishori and Tina survey the interests of network practitioners, prioritizing research topics; review protocols; implement recommendations from the Community Advisory Board and Institutional Review Board (IRB); work to enhance the success of current research studies; and oversee the submission of material for publishing or outside review.

For more information about CAPRICORN, please contact Network Coordinator Tina Tan at tpt6@georgetown.edu.